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Jon Carper
United States
Gretna
Nebraska
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1856 » Forums » General
Carper Variant - Add one 6 tile and one 59 tile.
It has happened several times now that new players, and even experienced players who only play 1856 occasionally, are frustrated and discouraged by this game's needless key tile shortages. Therefore I propose a simple variant that adds one 6 (gentle bend city) tile and one 59 (00 double city) tile. It is ridiculous that a company would be restricted from laying rail because someone else had laid the same shape rail somewhere else (not to imply that the 18XX system is realistic anyway). I have seen this tile shortage ruin too many games and turn off many would-be new 18XX-ers from the system.
Pierre Goyer
Canada
Montreal
Quebec
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patron07080910
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Yeah, we have had the same problem. I guess it was intentional from the designer.

Owl
Pierre Goyer
Canada
Montreal
Quebec
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patron07080910
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Yeah, we have had the same problem. I guess it was intentional from the designer.

Owl
Clark Millikan
United States
Mountain View
California
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If I remember correctly, I haven't played in 7 or 8 years, the gentle bend city is the key (along with three 2-trains) for the Wellend to earn obscene amounts of money early in the game. Either use them up before the Wellend operates in its second operating round to keep it in check, or buy into the Wellend and get a piece of the action.
Robert Taylor-Smith
Canada
High River
Alberta
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Check the abilities of certain private companies and you'll see why the tiles have this particular limit. The Welland comment above is only one of them.

The Niagara Escapment that splits the board in the middle is more important (ie. get a route across) because of the tile limit described.

Tile limits are a key part of the game design. Remember they represent land purchase or grants not the iron rails.
Jon Carper
United States
Gretna
Nebraska
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Regardless, I recommend the variant. Most players I play with find KEY tile shortages annoying, and the point of any game is enjoying the game so my group will always add the tiles listed above in the variant.

Not including these tiles allows a nice backstab play for those experienced players who like to obscure the tile shortage fact from less experienced players and then spring it on them for an advantage move, pretending to be the clever one....and these types of players would NEVER highlight the shortage fact ahead of time, even to newbees, at the expense of losing them from ever playing 18XX again. You know the types.
Michael Leuchtenburg
United States
Sunderland
Massachusetts
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patron0708
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Of course, such experienced players would also probably not want to play with this variant - and the newbies would have little reason to suggest it, not yet being aware of the tile shortage possibility!
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